"In front of our own fans we don’t have any other option than to go for a win against Real Madrid; we can’t start thinking that a goalless draw would see us through."

And the Argentine also advised his team-mates to put their recent 2-0 Champions League loss against AC Milan and the lacklustre first-half display at the weekend against Sevilla to the back of their heads and focus on the important matches coming up.

"We mustn’t drive ourselves crazy about the result in Milan or the first half against Sevilla. We have to pull ourselves together because there are some decisive games coming up."

Barcelona are still on course for a remarkable treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League, but face a number of challenges to keep themselves on track.

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